Climate Change and Accumulating Water Scarcity in Pakistan: A Case Study of Karachi's Water Infrastructure and Resilience

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.sidebar##

Published Sep 1, 2024
https://doi.org/10.61506/02.00316
Download
PDF
Statistic
Vol. 10 No. 3 (2024): Journal of Policy Research

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.main##

Anum Shahid
Commonwealth Scholar 2023 – 2024, MA International Relations, University of Portsmouth, UK
Syed Haider Ali
PhD Scholar, Department of Political Science, the University of Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

This case study examines Karachi's water shortage, aggravated by climate change and fast development. With a population of nearly 20 million, Karachi is primarily dependent on the Indus River Basin, Keenjhar Lake, and Hub Dam for its water supplies. However, because of the city's expanding population, outdated infrastructure, and unpredictable weather patterns, these sources are under a great deal of strain. The research looks at how these problems have become worse due to climate change, which has caused powerful monsoons, more frequent and severe droughts, and increasing temperatures that have all affected the quantity and quality of water.This water catastrophe has an influence on public health, food security, economic stability, and the environment. The most vulnerable residents of the city are heavily burdened by the rise in waterborne illnesses, the fall in agricultural production, and the increase in water costs. The management of the city's water resources is fraught with difficulties for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), ranging from antiquated infrastructure to budgetary limitations and ineffective administration.Karachi has responded by putting in place a number of measures to lessen water shortages and improve resilience. These include investigating new freshwater sources, installing water meters, and renovating water pipes. The city is also spending money on cutting-edge technology like desalination facilities and intelligent water management systems. In order to handle the issue, community-based efforts and foreign help have also been essential, although there are still gaps in the construction of infrastructure and the application of policies.This research emphasizes the need to manage water resources in Karachi using a thorough, multifaceted strategy. Advanced water loss control, integrated water resources management (IWRM), public-private partnerships, urban development that is climate resilient, and increased public awareness are some of the policy proposals. Other cities dealing with comparable issues may learn a lot from Karachi's water dilemma.

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.details##

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
[1]
Shahid, A. and Ali, S.H. 2024. Climate Change and Accumulating Water Scarcity in Pakistan: A Case Study of Karachi’s Water Infrastructure and Resilience. Journal of Policy Research. 10, 3 (Sep. 2024), 49–53. DOI:https://doi.org/10.61506/02.00316.
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

References

  1. Farooqi, A. B. (2005). Climate change perspective in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Meteorology 2, no. 3, 15.
  2. Hanan, M. A. (2024). Utilization of WEAP Software to Assess Current and Future Water Demand of Karachi City. Construction Technologies and Architecture 13 , 131-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-n0J7Ya
  3. Hussain, S. S. (2020). An overview on emerging water scarcity challenge in Pakistan, its consumption, causes, impacts and remedial measures. Big Data in Water Resources Engineering (BDWRE) 1, no. 1, 22-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26480/bdwre.01.2020.22.31
  4. Iftikhar, M. N. (2018). Community–government partnership for metered clean drinking water: A case study of Bhalwal, Pakistan. Climate Change in Cities: Innovations in Multi-Level Governance, 163-179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65003-6_9
  5. Irfan, M. S. (2018). Sustainable harnessing of the surface water resources for Karachi: a geographic review. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 11 , 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-017-3365-6
  6. Janjua, S. I. (2021). Addressing social inequality and improper water distribution in cities: A case study of Karachi, Pakistan. Land 10, no. 11, 1278. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land10111278
  7. Khalil, S. S. (2023). Household water insecurities and willingness to pay in Karachi. Water Policy 25, no. 12, 1139-1160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2023.149
  8. Khan, H. A. (2022). The Cholera outbreak in Karachi, Pakistan: challenges, efforts and recommendations. Annals of Medicine and Surgery 78, 5-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103873
  9. Khan, H. F. (2022). Beyond water scarcity: Water (in) security and social justice in Karachi. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 42, 101140. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101140
  10. Khan, M. A. (2016). The challenge of climate change and policy response in Pakistan. Environmental Earth Sciences 75, 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-5127-7
  11. Kumar, L. &.-P. (2019). Situational Analysis of Water Resources of Karachi. Karachi: WWFPAK.
  12. Kumar, P. F. (2022). Water sanitation in Karachi and its impact on health. Annals of Medicine and Surgery 77, 103688. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103688
  13. Millington, N. (2018). Producing water scarcity in São Paulo, Brazil: The 2014-2015 water crisis and the binding politics of infrastructure. Political Geography 65, 26-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2018.04.007
  14. Qureshi, A. S. (2005). Climate change and water resources management in Pakistan. Climate change and water resources in South Asia, 197-230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780203020777.ch8
  15. Syvrud, A. H. (2021). Advancing urban water security in the Indus basin, Pakistan—priority actions for Karachi and Lahore. Water 13, no. 23, 3399. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13233399
  16. Tabassum, R. M. (2020). Sustainable urban water conservation strategy for a planned city of a developing country: a perspective from DHA City Karachi. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13, 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-06180-2
  17. Tayyab, M. (2021). Management of surface water resources to mitigate the water stress in Karachi. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Hydrology and Water Resources (ICHWR-2021), Lahore, Pakistan, vol. 25, 5-6.
  18. Zhang, D. M.-U.-D. (2020). Water scarcity and sustainability in an emerging economy: a management perspective for future. Sustainability 13, no. 1, 144. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010144